GIANTS’ NICKS BREAKS BONE IN FOOT, OUT 12 WEEKS

New York Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks is expected to be sidelined up to three months after breaking his right foot at an organized team activity early Thursday.

Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot as he was running a route during individual drills, the team said in a release later in the afternoon.

Nicks is scheduled to have surgery today to have a screw inserted into the broken bone. The procedure will be performed by foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C. The expected recovery time for Nicks is approximately 12 weeks. New York is scheduled to report to training camp on July 26.

The fifth metatarsal generally takes a long time to heal because there isn’t a lot of blood flow to the area.

Collusion talk

The NFL Players Association claimed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota on Wednesday there was a secret salary cap in place during the uncapped 2010 season, and that it cost players at least $1 billion in wages.

“Cartels do what cartels will do when left unchecked,” Smith said outside union headquarters. “The facts justify the complaint.”

Hours after the court action, the NFL issued a statement saying “the union’s claims have absolutely no merit and we fully expect them to be dismissed.”

Around the league

A sports series is the most-watched prime-time show for an entire TV season for the first time. The NFL said “Sunday Night Football” averaged the most viewers for 2011-12. The games on NBC averaged 20.9 million viewers during the official TV season to beat out “American Idol,” which drew a smaller audience than last year.

•The Cardinals signed free-agent linebacker Quentin Groves and released receiver Marc Wilson. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Groves spent the past two seasons with Oakland.

•The NFL and its referees’ union have agreed to federal mediation. George Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, will conduct the talks between the on-field officials and the league. Cohen also mediated between the NFL and its players’ union before last year’s lockout.